Wednesday, 25 April 2012

Save Malaysia Stop Lynas (SMSL) is grateful for the support the BERSIH campaign has given to the Stop Lynas campaign. We need democracy to get rid of the toxic Lynas project We need democracy to prevent another toxic project any where in Malaysia.

Bersih 3.0 is an urgently needed action to show the government the people are ready and wanting to transform the country into a truly democratic state. For far too long we have endured media censorship, lack of transparancy, corruption and dirty politics. Our country suffers serious brain drain problem because educated Malaysians cannot thrive in this kind of conditions. The time has now come for us to march towards a brighter and cleaner future. Otherwise, Malaysia will remain a third world country.

Bersih 3.0 should NOT be compromised. It is precisely because of our lack of transparency and the dirty politics which has brought about the Lynas toxic project. We need to act to get rid of Lynas and we NEED TO ensure Bersih 3.0 is a big success to bring about the badly needed change. The two cannot and should NOT be compromised.

For those who are unable to get to KL for the rally, you can still take part in Bersih 3.0 in a low-carbon action in Kuantan at Taman Gelora. You save on carbon emission by not travelling 265km to KL to add to the congestion there.

Monday, 23 April 2012

KUANTAN, 23 April 2012 – Malaysians will not challenge the rights of Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (LAMP) to sue, but they will defend their rights to live in a safer environment.

According to Kuantan MP, Fuziah Salleh the anti-Lynas group will soldier on because this is a matter of life and death. “If we continue to allow the plant to continue on with its operations, there is no guarantee that it will be safe from contamination of the radioactive waste she said.

“No industry is one hundred percent efficient and accidents caused by human errors, do happen, whether you like it or not. Even the most advanced plants have been known to contaminate the environment. For example, the Bhopal disaster involving Union Carbide had killed thousands of people living in the area. UNOCAL, rare earth refinery plant similar to Lynas reported of 60 incidence of leakages involving radioactive waste to the amount of 600,000 US Gallons being discharged into the ground and contaminating the environment in late 1990s in Southern California.”

As a foreign investor, Lynas, she added, should be concerned about the environment which it seeks to operate in. “Nick Curtis should realize that, in his own country, the best practice for a rare earth refinery is to be located in a sparsely populated area where the water table is deep below the ground level” she said. “Why, in our homeland, should he think that he can get away by setting up the plant within the district of Gebeng, with a resident population of at least 10,000 within the 5 km radius of the plant?”

Commenting further on the issue, Fuziah said that as prime minster, Najib Razak should be concerned about the Lynas issue, since it was first raised a few months ago, despite the plant located in Gebeng, which is just about 50 kilometres away from Najib’s own constituency of Pekan.

“Is he not concerned?” she asked, citing the way Najib had responded to press enquiries about the Scorpene deal. “This appears to be his style of handling issues. Whenever he is involved in something unpopular, he prefers to remain silent. Malaysians will interpret this as his way of condoning the Lynas project.”

Fuziah said with the Himpunan Hijau 3.0 to be organised in conjunction with Bersih 3.0 on April 28, Malaysians from all walks of life will send a clear message to Nick Curtis, Najib and the entire Barisan Nasional government that “we do not welcome any industry that could potentially risk the lives of Malaysians.”

“Environmental contamination from the Lynas
Malaysian plant is inevitable. Radiation, groundwater, atmospheric and river
pollution are our key concerns. This refinery would be unlikely to be approved
if it were proposed in Australia”
National Toxics Network (NTN) said today.

These findings feature in a new research
report released today. The report assesses the potential emissions from the
Lynas Advanced Materials Plant already under construction in Kuantan, Malaysia.

“Close scrutiny of company documents and
international literature demonstrates that the plant is about to commence
operations in an inappropriate location. There are inadequate engineering
controls and pollution from the plant will be inevitable,” said the report’s
author Lee Bell.

“The refinery site is swampy, unstable, and
subject to monsoonal flooding which raises major concerns for radioactive waste
disposal,” Mr Bell said.

“It will be practically impossible to
control the radioactive waste under these conditions. The site receives 3
metres of rainfall a year and only 1 metre of evaporation”.

“The waste disposal areas will flood and
drain into the Balok
River carrying
radioactive contamination. There are already reports that the tailings ponds
are flooded and production hasn’t even started yet.’ Bell said

‘The
Malaysian regulators appear to have applied the poorest waste-water
regulations. They will allow significant contamination of the Balok River.
Many of the chemicals that will be released to the river are not even
identified in the regulations.”

“These lax environmental controls would prevent
this refinery receiving approval in Australia. Why aren’t Malaysian
citizens and their environment entitled to the same protection as Australians?’
Bell concluded.

Thursday, 19 April 2012

Since the approval of the TOL by AELB on the 31st Jan 2012 to Lynas Malaysia which was awarded within 2 working days after the residents in Kuantan submitted more than One Thousand comments and suggestions to the atomic energy authorities, AELB has been trying real hard to convince the public that, by doing so, they have acted in the interest of the public through weekly media briefing with regards to the safety of the plant.

Previously, all media briefings by AELB were carried out in their own premises but this time they’ve taken the trouble to transport all participating journalists from various media to Lynas Advance Materials Plant (LAMP) which is located 289km away from the AELB office.

On the 17th April 2012, the minister of MOSTI, Dato Seri Dr. Maximus Ongkili hosts an appeal hearing from the appellants that presented strong cogent alternative views on why the TOL should be revoked. The minister has yet to make any decisions but AELB once again is putting the cart before the horse by conducting their weekly media briefing in LAMP which is inappropriate and unethical as it is a sign of prejudice towards Lynas Malaysia. AELB being one of the departments under MOSTI has acted in a manner that reeks of open support for Lynas Malaysia.

Are AELB and journalists invited by Lynas Malaysia to hold the media briefing in LAMP or is it the unitary decision by AELB to have it there? Since the appeal to the minister to withdraw the TOL is still pending, AELB should steer clear of any shades of suspicion by the public where it should have the wisdom to its regular weekly media briefing in its office. It will not only save the tax payers unnecessary expenditures but help to maintain an image of impartiality! We regret the move by AELB to hold the media briefing in a place that is the centre of dispute between the residents of Kuantan and Lynas Malaysia, as AELB is an interested party. Such imprudence speaks volumes of its lack of integrity and its readiness to assist an interested party that will heavily pollute the air, water and its land that sustained the livelihood of 700,000 people!

We condemn unreservedly this move by AELB by not taking into consideration the feelings of the local populations and the arbitration underway by its Ministry! We call upon Dato Seri Dr. Maximus Ongkili to be more responsive in his role as a Minister elected by the people to serve the rakyat by instructing AELB to act and play its role impartially. A watchdog should at no time be turned into a running dog!

Tuesday, 17 April 2012

BANGI, April 17 – Lynas opponents today claimed proof that waste produced from the Australian miner’s planned rare earth refinery would be hazardous, saying that past environmental assessment reports substantiated their allegations.

They alleged that parts of an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report showed that the Lynas waste contained high levels of heavy metal concentration, which includes a combination of cadmium, kromium, nickel and lead.

“This was not disclosed. The waste will be hazardous to our people, our environment. The solid waste is toxic,” said independent chemist Mat Azhar Mat Lazim who spoke to reporters outside the Malaysian Nuclear Agency here.

Mat Azhar was one of the expert witnesses appointed by three individuals who are appealing the Atomic Energy Licensing Board’s January 30 decision to award a temporary operating licence (TOL) for the Lynas refinery in Gebeng, Kuantan.

Save Malaysia Stop Lynas (SMSL) deputy chairman Ismail Abu Bakar, who is one of the three appealing the decision led the anti-Lynas team today to meet Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili.

Last week, Kuala Lumpur High Court Justice Rohana Yusof rejected the bid by 10 residents to stop Lynas’ rare earth plant as she did not want to embarrass Ongkili should he decide differently from the court on the temporary operating licence (TOL).

“There’s just not enough data, information. We want to know what are the actual detailed levels of thorium as well.

“They did not disclose details of the level of thorium, that is another contention,” said Mat Azhar.

“The main purpose of us being here today is to urge the minister to reconsider giving the temporary licence to Lynas Corp.

“I do not want to sound pessimistic but (throughout) the hearing, it sounded like he (Ongkili) was not agreeable (to our arguments),” Ismail told reporters.

In a statement issued later by the ministry, Ongkili was quoted as saying he will study the documents and testimonies presented today and will consult related experts and authorities before making a decision on the appeal.

Lynas Corp’s Malaysian subsidiary said the plant would be ready to fire up operations in three weeks’ time.

Critics allege that Lynas Corp has failed to give enough assurances on how it will handle the low-level radioactive waste that will be produced at the plant.

This morning, forty (40) Kuantan residents embarked on a 300-km journey before dawn to lend their support to three residents, their lawyer and independent professional experts who will appeal to Datuk Maximus Ongkili, Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) to suspend licences approved by its Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB) for the Lynas rare earth refinery in Gebeng near Kuantan.

SMSL and their supporters and a range of civil society groups have gathered outside the office of Nuclear Malaysia in Bangi, Selangor to show their solidarity with the appeal team.

“I have learnt from the various experts that this refinery project is dangerous. It will pollute our environment and contaminate our food and water. Our health will be affected. We can get cancer from Lynas’ pollution.” Said Haji Ismail Abu Bakar, a Kuantan resident and SMSL’s spokesperson.

He added, “This project must be stopped. I appeal to the Minister because so many people who will be affected from the kampung are too afraid to speak out. They do not have the means to do it. I am a retired public servant. I have nothing to lose to speak out.”

One of the three appellants is Madam Abu Javalli V. Raman, another resident from Taman Tas in Ktn. Madam Abu Javali. She explained,

“Kuantan is a clean, fresh and beautiful town. I love this place. Radiation is colourless, odourless and dangerous. I have visited Bukit Merah and have seen the pain, the suffering of mothers and family there. I will do everything possible to stop the Lynas project. I do not want to be another victim of rare earth pollution. We don’t need this plant.”

Haji Ismail and Madam Abu Javalli are joined by Mr Tan Ah Meng, a lime farmer near the Lynas rare earth plant. Ah Meng dropped his day’s work in the farm to go to Bangi for the appeal. He said,

“I am a farmer. I do not want Lynas’ waste to become fertilisers which will be sold to farmers like me to contaminate my fruits. If rare earth waste is so safe, the Chinese would have sold it for money. Why would they dump it everywhere in Baotou to pollute the place?”

Mr Tan Bun Teet, another SMSL’s spokesperson clarified the purpose of the appeal,

“SMSL has to pursue this ministerial appeal before we take the matter to the court. We have to prove to the court that we have exhausted all avenues.”

“We are giving our Minister one last chance to do the right thing by the people, to exercise his power and to give due consideration to the people’s well beings and the country’s future and to heed our independent experts’ advice. If the Minister failed in his duty of care to protect citizens and our nation from Lynas’ harm, then SMSL will file an application through the Kuantan High Court to seek an injunction on all licences approved by the AELB for the Lynas operations.” Concluded Mr Tan.

March 5, 2012 :

March 6, 2012 :

An Appeal to Stop Lynas

24th March 2012

Dear supporters and generous donors,

SMSL is a voluntary residents group relying entirely on public donations and support for its activities and actions to stop the Lynas rare earth project.

We are deeply touched and encouraged by the generous assistance and support rendered by members of the public for the Stop Lynas campaign. It is only through your on-going support that we can continue with our multi-prong campaign to stop the hazardous rare earth project.

Lynas Malaysia has engaged an expensive high profile public relation (PR) campaign. It has stepped up its media advertisements recently and has put out colourful booklets in response to the persistent and growing public opposition to the refinery project.

The Malaysian Government has continued to defend the project. It has failed to exercise due care to protect our precious environment and the citizens. A Temporary Operating License (TOL) was approved on 30th January this year despite Lynas not having a safe solution for its radioactive waste; its plant construction defects not audited by an independent engineering team and in the absence of a Detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (DEIA).

SMSL has been advised by a number of highly qualified independent technical and health experts of the risks and hazards of the Lynas plant for Malaysia. We have to keep our fight to create a clean and safe future for Malaysia.

SMSL has established links with the Anti-Nuclear Alliance of Western Australia (ANAWA) and the Environmental Defenders Office (EDO) to explore legal options to try to stop Lynas Australia from exporting its ore concentrate to Malaysia.

The EDO has identified several possible legal angles to take including a court action. The legal cost has been estimated to amount to A$70K (about MYR250,000 at today’s exchange rate).

At the same time, SMSL has been working with the Pahang Bar Council to prepare legal challenge to the Government’s approval of the TOL - both through a ministerial appeal hearing and subsequently through the Malaysian court should the Minister refused to suspend Lynas’ TOL.

We hereby call upon every concern person, organization and company to continue to support us to stop the Lynas project by donating generously for the legal actions and for other Stop Lynas activities.

Donations of RM10 or more can be made by direct deposit to:

Account Name: Pertubuhan Solidariti Hijau Kuantan Pahang

Account Number: 3173473113

Bank Name: Public Bank Berhad

We have formed a legal organization known as Pertubuhan Solidariti Hijau Kuantan Pahang (3960-11-PHG) or Solidariti Hijau in short, registered under the Registrar of Societies. SMSL is now a project of Solidariti Hijau. The Committee of Solidariti Hijau will be overseeing all the financial and legal matters of SMSL.

We look forward to your generous support to create a safer future for Malaysia.